Free From - is is this okay?

[weddingwaiting]

The food for my wedding is going to be a “hot fork buffet” rather than a table service meal. I understand this to mean that we get to choose maybe 4 main dishes + sides for guests to go up and be served by staff.

I have a bunch of guests with various dietary requirements 3x vegan, 4xveggie and at least 3 gluten free that I know of.

Is it okay to have one “catch all” free from meal eg. A vegan and gluten free Thai curry and then maybe one other thing that is veggie (with lots of yummy cheese!) but other people can eat too?

. There are too many of them to make it practical for them all to have individual meals so this is how we have been told we need to do it but I want to food at my wedding to be tasty so I don’t want to waste too many food options on accommodating so many dietary requirements

If the food is all in one area It would need a single member of staff whos sole job is to make sure that no guest sticks gluten contacted spoons /forks /knives etc in the dish.

Gluten is a poison for coeliacs it is not a lifestyle choice or an ethical issue.

It is a medical condition and gluten is a slow acting poison. People who say they are GF but are not fussed are either not coeliacs or are selfharming coeliac who are ok with killing their intestine.

As a coeliac a buffet is the stuff nightmares are made of! Unless people need to be aware of cross contamination it's not something that's at the forefront of their mind.

However, at functions such as weddings I expect buffets and always take some of my own food and eat before I go. Its nice that people cater for different allergies and dietary needs but like you say its not practical to provide lots of varieties for different peoples needs. Unless the majority of your guests and yourselves are gf or vegan etc I think a few options separate to the main buffet will be fine. Like PP have said lots of food is easy to make gf it just has to be kept seperate. People will understand. They're there to celebrate your wedding with you

Have a chat with your caterer about your requirements and be guided by them. Ultimately, you're paying for the food and your guests with dietary needs will not expect a full vegan/gf buffet.

Vegetarian cheese is just cheese...

I hate curry so I’d have nothing to eat other than sides at your wedding! I think there needs to be more than one option

@Doidontimmm i’m not adding “is fussy” into the list of dietary requirements!

Vegetarians eat animal products, they just don't eat meat.

Lovely!! It’s not “fussy” to not like a particular food. I assume all your guests then have no food preferences.

Lots of that menu is very easily gluten and (some) dairy free.

the beef cobbler, lasagne, and linguine are the only things that it wouldnt be straightforward convert to gluten free (although a portion of the stew could be left uncobbled perhaps)

it's the vegans/dairy free who are going to struggle more due to the 'creamy sauces' on everything including the vegetarian options.

When you have intolerances/allergies you usually just get what you are given, there's rarely more than one option. So you just get used to it when going to events or eating out.

I've been to weddings where a lovely roast dinner has been served up and I just get the vegetables and dry meat as can't have the gravy and no potatoes/Yorkshire pudding etc. I've been given tinned fruit when everyone else has amazing puddings. My starter has been just a few salad leaves compared to vegetable tarts/pate/or soup.

@Doidontimmm it is a bit fussy to not like something as completely normal as curry…and curry was just my example I’m not set on it. I just don’t think at a large scale event you can expect to have your dietary requirements catered for AND expect lots of choice. Many weddings only have one option and that’s what you are given, it’s not exactly unusual

@pastabest yeah I think those are only examples to be fair!

Vegetarian cheese is most cheese nowadays. Its vegan cheese alternatives that are poor. I say this as a cheese loving dairy intolerant vegetarian. I wonder if the people who make vegan cheese have ever tasted actual cheese because its so very little like it. Texture is wrong, its way too bland, and most of it tastes of coconut.

I think once choice is fine with allergies, food intolerances and vegan / vegetarian. I’ve been to lots of weddings where you don’t get a choice as it’s a set menu and an alternative is given if you have allergies / vegan / vegetarian but again it’s set and not a choice.
You do need to think about how the buffet will be laid out. Could those impacted be served first?

its so irritating as well isn't it when you know that it so easily could have been gluten free.

absolutely no reason why cornflour can't be used to make gravy / Yorkshire puddings (yorkies are actually far better made with cornflour anyway!) and coat roast potatoes. It's just lack of thought on behalf of the venue.

even if you really can't be bothered a tub of gluten free gravy granules from the supermarket is only a couple of quid to have available when needed.

I would agree though that avoiding spice as the 'free from' option is probably best, spice is a very personal thing anyway plus lots of people with intolerances can struggle with spice if they have inflammatory bowel conditions.

If you do rice, potato, or rice noodles as sides and provide GF bread and crackers separately, then your coeliac guests can eat most of those meals (obv not cobbler or pasta)
You could probably do a completely vege cheese board without too much difficulty.
Vegan is difficult to police in mass catering with butter, cream, etc. I have a vegan friend who often can taste butter in her vegan meal!

Many vegetarians prefer not to eat cheese that has been produced with rennet, the juice from a cows stomach, just as most vegetarians prefer not to eat products containing gelatine from boiled up animal carcasses.

Nope. I'm a cheese maker. Most cheese uses vegetarian rennet these days.

Massive gorgeous stinky French stuff excepted of course but I know very few veggies who would be bothered by non veggie rennet anyway and if they were they go for the vegan option.

Just seconding the posts that recommend you find a way to ensure your coeliac/ gf / vegan etc guests get first pick of the food meant for them before the omnivores turn up and help themselves to it all as it looks so good!

If you are doing a vegan thai curry, can you not have a chicken curry for gluten free guests? With gluten free naan etc?

Vegetarian pizza as an option for those who don't like spice? Vegetarians and non vegetarians could eat that.

I think vegan cheese has got so much better in recent years! I've been dairy free for 17 years, back then everything had to come from Holland & barratt, cost a fortune and was disgusting! There's so much choice and variety now. But I guess I can't actually remember real cheese/chocolate etc so no idea how it compares!

And obviously people who aren't gluten free could also have the chicken curry

Well according to the OP it’s fussy and curry is a “normal” food everyone should like. Sounds like you find these people an inconvenience rather than people you like enough to invite to your wedding. You’ve got my back up calling me fussy when I know quite a few people who don’t enjoy curry.

But you are giving everyone else a choice that’s the difference.

It's a minefield, OP. As a vegetarian, I absolutely loathe vegan food... but I would be happy that an option had been provided for a buffet and eat what was offered.

After being left hungry at several events, I now always make sure that I take a sandwich in my bag and protein bars/mini bags of nuts.

I think you should concentrate on catering for the coeliacs , vegetarianism and veganism is a lifestyle choice , having coeliacs isn’t , it’s a disease . That said cross contamination is an absolute nightmare for coeliacs , even as far as particles falling off spoons into the dishes undetected as the stuff is served up . Which is likely why your cousin had a completely gluten free buffet .